Upgrades fail for boring reasons. Here is the list we run through with every customer before we put a date in the calendar.
- Do we have a complete customization inventory? Not the one from the last upgrade; a current one, including reports and integrations.
- Does the test environment match production? Same data volume, same customizations, same integrations pointing at test endpoints.
- Have we rehearsed the upgrade end to end? With timings. Twice.
- Do we know which customizations we can retire? Each release moves functionality into the product. Retiring code is the cheapest upgrade work there is.
- Are CAD integrations tested for the target release? Workgroup manager and Creo compatibility matrices change.
- Is the database and Java stack in the supported matrix?
- Who signs the go/no-go, and on what criteria?
- Have we tested rollback, not just described it?
- Do users know what will change? A short “what’s different” page prevents a wave of tickets.
- What is the first thing we check after go-live? Have a script: search, check-in, change creation, ERP sync.
If you cannot answer three or more of these with confidence, a health check before the upgrade will pay for itself.